ouncer ] dayquil doesn't treat that. huh? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus rushes relief to all your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ sighs ] thank you! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! hi, good evening. it is now 7:00 p.m. on the east coast. what is happening right now in new york city is something that is nearly unprecedented. beginning this hour, the entire new york city public transportation system will begin a system wide shutdown system. that includes subways, buses and commuter trains as the city prepares for the arrival of hurricane sandy. i'm thomas roberts here in new york. we appreciate you staying with us. this is a city that is prepping for the worst as this category 1 hurricane barrels up the eastern

sew board. all ships to arrive in new york harbor are -- new york city residents who live in low lying areas are ordered to evacuate on direct orders from the mayor. >> i can't stress enough that this is for your own safety and that if you refuse to evacuate, you are not only putting yourself at risk, but also the first responders who have to assist you in emergency. we have a plan to keep you safe. if you follow that plan, we'll get through this storm just fine. if you don't, people's lives are in danger. >> at this hour, hurricane sandy is still churning up at a glacial pace along the eastern sea board. forecasters are saying tonight that sandy could ultimately become the largest storm to hit the united states. according to the weather channel's jim cantore, there's a wind field that is 900 miles

wide. here is what air travel looks like along the eastern sea board this evening. that picture is going to change over the next 12 to 24 hours. close to 7,000 flights scheduled to take off this evening and tomorrow have been canceled as a result of this massive hurricane. joining us now is nbc news meteorologist, dylan drier. as this going down as the largest storm, explain why they shouldn't be fools when it's a cat 1 storm. >> that's the problem. a category 1 hurricane you don't worry about. the problem is the sheer size of this storm. this is not just a category 1 hurricane. it's almost a hybrid as it transforms from a hurricane into a nor'easter with the strong easty winds that storm surge moves on shore. it's the sheer size of the storm. we are not tracking the eye of

the storm. no matter where it makes land fall from new jersey to delaware to maryland, we are looking at the potential for the tropical force storm winds to extend out several hundred miles. it will be windy and a long duration event because the storm is so big. it doesn't just move through and move on. it is going to sit across the northeast for several days. we are going to see plenty of rainfall also. 75-mile-per-hour winds with the storm. it is still 360 miles to the southeast of virginia beach. we are already dealing with coastal flood warnings up and down the east coast. they extend from southern new england to virginia. we have high wind warnings extending through the northeast and back into ohio, back through the western great lakes. that's because of the size of the storms. it's going to encompass a huge portion of the east coast. so many areas will be under the gun at once. now, here is the storm monday at 2:00 p.m.

still a category 1 storm well out to sea. watch what happens later in the evening monday night and tuesday morning. 2:00 a.m., we should see it make land fall. again, it's not just a hurricane we are talking about. it's a cyclone transforming into a nor'easter situation. the storm has nowhere to go. it sits across pennsylvania, new york state and central new england and rains itself out. right now, we have winds gusting over 40 miles per hour through salisbury, maryland. rain is heavy. we have picked up more than two and a half inches of rainfall through virginia beach. the storm is still 300 miles to the east. winds are gusty all through new jersey. gusting up to 45 miles per hour in delaware. we are seeing gusts up near 30 miles per hour in southern new jersey. boston, wind gusts of 30 miles per hour. again, the storm is still far away. i stress that point because what's going to happen when the storm gets closer? here is one forecast for

rainfall. we should end up with six to eight inches of rain out of this. inland areas, the ground has been dry. we haven't had a lot of rain this season. the river levels are fairly low. however, with all this rain and the rising rivers, we'll see them overflow the banks. flood prone areas need to take action to prepare for the rain that is going to start moving in as early as tomorrow through the mid-atlantic region. it's worst for the mid-atlantic region. that's the peak of the storm. it's when we are going to get winds gusting up near 80 miles per hour. it's when the storm surge is going to be up to perhaps four to seven feet or higher. the peak of the storm comes at the high tide between 6:00 and 9:00 monday evening. it's a high tide because of a full moon. there are all these factors making it that much more powerful across the east coast. again, that rainfall could end up four to eight inches

widespread. we could see up to ten to 12 inches and that will create the inland flooding. between the inland flooding, the coastal flooding with the storm surge, winds up to 40 miles per hour for several days and the peak of the storm with wind gusts up to 80 miles per hour, it's an awful combination. there's a lot of stress on the power lines. power outages will be a huge issue. charge your cell phones. be prepared for no power. a lot of people preparing their homes with the food and water and everything you need. you could be stuck at home for several days. >> prepare for the worst and hope for the best. thank you so much. as we look at what's taking place along the coastline, there are certain places in new england taking sandy seriously while others not so much. eric fisher is live for us in rhode island. one of the states that is under a state of emergency. explain what you are seeing there. >> reporter: well, thomas, the day before the storm everyone

comes out. meteorologists thinking of weather will be running out here. i would myself. tomorrow it's going to be a different situation for the folks in rhode island. monday is going to be the day for the worst weather. the top priority is focusing on the storm surge. usually it comes in as a norrest ear, you get a two to three foot surge. you get flooding. we are expecting up to eight foot storm surge. it's close to historic. it's getting to bob territory which was 1991. it could be something we saw with a 1938 hurricane. people pay attention to that. very rare occurrences. this is going to be a rare event. we talked to a couple people out here earlier on. a gentleman was talking about bob and his experience there. he was too close to the water back in 1991. >> bob was very terrifying.

actually, i was one of them people that wasn't to bright and went down to the water and a wave hit me. ever since bob, i haven't went to the water. i have been staying away until after the seas calm down a bit. >> reporter: you know, i think it's an issue we have. it's human nature. you don't believe something until you see it. you don't believe it can kill you until it almost does. sometimes a bad part of the story can happen and you don't have a chance to adjust. take this one seriously. i know every storm seems like it's bigger than the next. this is a special occurrence. tough take my word with that. it's going to be something they talk about a lot here in new england. >> eric fisher, thanks. michelle franzen has reporting throughout the day. she's joining us from new york city's lower manhattan, battery

park. what are we seeing there? >> reporter: it's starting to pick up in terms of people scrambling to get out of here. it's been this way for several hours. the water behind me in the next day or so is expected to surge from six to 12 feet. where i'm standing, thomas, i could with up to my knees or waist deep in water. it's part of the reason they are evacuating. it's known as zone a, some 370,000 people who have been told to pack up and move to safer areas in the city or to get out of the city. it's what many of them did, heeding the warnings today. some are opting to stay here today. you can see the lights on on the high-rise buildings here. that power could be turned off. we don't know yet. there could be other preparations under way to make room for the surges. it's what we have heard about all day. a big prep day in new york city, a subway system shut down.

it's ending at 7:00. bus service around 9:00. the port authority making contingency plans to button down those parts of the construction area. many people who packed up today, those new yorkers are heeding the warnings and taking this in stride. >> we have two children 2 and under. it's a bit of a hassle. after going what we went through last year and nothing happening, we are glad the city is taking precautions. >> we are going up state a little bit. stay there a couple days. when they move us back down, we'll cobb back here. if i was still singer, i'd still be here. >> reporter: it's only the second time the subway system has been shut down like this. the last one was last year for irene. this is different. the water levels are projected to be much higher than that. they are making other plans. broadway shows canceled tonight

and tomorrow as well as the physical trading floor here in lower manhattan. that's shut down as well. thomas, we are in for a long haul as you can see, weather wise, we haven't started yet. >> it's a bizarre storm. this abundance of caution is the way to go until we know more. michelle franzen, thank you. it is the second time in as many years the densely populated northeast correspond had to prepare for a massive hurricane. coming up, an expert in public health and disaster will address the question of how ready we are this time around. keep it locked in here. this is the extended coverage of hurricane sandy. we are back with you after this. [ male announcer ] research suggests cell health plays a key role

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welcome back. this educated guessing game of hurricane sandy has forecasters saying at this hour, the most likely possibility is along the coast of new jersey.

up and down the coast, people are making last minute preparations for sandy as the time ticks away. ron allen is reporting from the middle of the projected path joining us from point pleasant beach in new jersey. good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, thomas. the beach here is almost completely covered by the ocean. it used to extend 75 yards out there. now, it's close to where we are on the board walk. the surf has growing by the day. the situation here is getting dangerous. it's why so many communities, including this one have been evacuated. today, president obama added his voice to those warnings saying take this storm seriously. the awesome power of hurricane sandy churning up the atlantic drove residents to the beaches for one last look. along the jersey shore, thousands heeded the warnings.

while police in island towns went door-to-dor enforcing a man tour evacuation order. >> this may be worse. i don't know. it's scary. >> reporter: in atlantic city, a last minute rush to board up the mecca that looked like a ghost town. casinos shut. along the east coast from delaware to connecticut, hundreds of thousands of people live in mandatory evacuation areas. more than 370,000 alone in new york city where the entire transit system, trains, buses and subway shut down tonight. further inland, some communities race to lower reservoirs and rivers hoping to ease what's expected to be major flooding. the warnings from state and local leaders have been plunt. >> as citizens, we need you to act brew dentally. this is nothing to be trifled

with. >> reporter: what could be widespread power outages plan to work through the night. help is on the way. utility workers are on their way to philadelphia and baltimore. with time to prepare all but gone, the last minute rush overwhelms stores with shoppers picking up supplies. with the weather getting so bad, authorities say the best advice is to stay at home. it's most likely the safest place. up and down the east coast, a lot of schools, businesses are all closed tomorrow and probably will be for a couple days. adds everyone knows, the storm is going to be with us for a short time to come. thomas? >> ron allen reporting from new jersey. thanks so much. joining me now is irwin, professor of population and family health here in new york. he's a national leader in disaster preparedness.

profess professor, it's great to have you here. let's talk specifically about the coordination that goes into the government agencies. we have seen the governors coming out talking about the states of emergency that exist for ten states as well as the districts, washington, d.c. explain the coordination that goes into keeping the populations safe as we still wait for the exact model that is will predict where the storm will go. >> some of the models, the earlier it is, the more inaccurate they are. in this case, there's a tremendous amount of analysis showing us that we are pretty much going to be hit here in the northeast by a tremendously impactful storm. the complexity of planning for this cannot be overstated. it is truly extraordinary how the organizations and agencies, not just the government agencies, it's red cross and other organizations who have to be involved in the planning. >> here is the thing.

in the commercial break we were talking about this. there are certain people that will hear it's just a cat 1 storm, it's not that big of a deal. they think we are the boy that cried wolf, trying to warn people about the severity of what the storm can bring. what is your advice to these people? >> this could not be a more severe warning. this is the real deal. people must pay attention to this. this is not irene orca tree that. it's bigger and badder than both of those. i think this is the time for people to take seriously the very important warnings they are getting from government officials. if they are in an area that needs to be evacuated, they need to get going and move to a safe area where they can be sheltered for as long as they need to be. >> even though this is only rated as a cat 1 storm, you say this could be worse than katrina. it's because of the size of it and the potential of the other storm system from the west, the

cold air that could turn it into a nor'easter. >> right. we have a complicated weather pattern. it's a huge land area taking place that's going to be hit by this. secondly, this is going to be such a wide path for this storm that it's going to stretch the capacity of first responder agencies to get to every place it wants. it's important to take care of ourselves. don't forget each person is their own first responder. you have to take seriously your own responsibilities. that starts at getting to safety. the second thing is people, by this time, have made sure they have food and water. they have whatever important medications they need to make sure they have. they need to stay inside until it's safe to go out and public officials will let them know. battery operated radios to get information. cell phones charged up and so forth. now is the time to finish preparations and to really pay

heed to what officials are helg you. >> great advice for personal responsibility. one of the things you want to touch on is making sure you know or the people out there know who is vulnerable. knowing about elderly loved ones. pets, kids. >> some are vulnerable. if you have a mom or grandma who needs to have special attention, make sure she is safe. she'll run. people with chronic medical conditions. people who are dependent on medical devices that have to be operating even during the storm. all these people should be thought about. when you are making plans, it's not just you and your nuclear family, we are thinking neighbors, friends and relatives who might need special attention. hopefully we have gotten to them and hope they are comfortable. >> professor, thanks for being here. we appreciate your insights.

>> glad to be here. >> the east coast is prepping for not just the high winds we expect, but the heavy rains in this giant coastal storm surge. the region affects these conditions expected to last a long time. we'll bring the latest on the forecast, the predictions and sandy's behavior. much more as we continue our coverage here on hurricane sandy here on msnbc. plus presents the cold truth. i have a cold, and i took nyquil, but i'm still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have a decongestant. no way. [ male announcer ] sorry. alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast-acting decongestant to relieve your stuffy nose. thanks. [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus. ♪ oh what a relief it is! [ male announcer ] try new alka-seltzer plus severe allergy to treat allergy symptoms plus sinus congestion and pain.

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welcome back, everybody. as we speak, churning off the atlantic coast of the eastern u.s., the storm is a cat 1. it's called hurricane sandy. it's a massive storm and a slow mover. once it hits land, forecasters expect it to merge with a cold front from the west and this blast of arctic air from the north, where it's expected to become more of a nor'easter super storm that last week forecasters were calling a frankenstorm. now, today, officials evacuating low lying areas, transit systems along the east coast in the process of being shut down this hour.

president obama taking time of the campaign trail to oversee preparations taking place at fema in washington, d.c. this is what he had to say. >> good afternoon, everybody. obviously, all of us across the country are concerned about the impact of hurricane sandy. this is a serious and big storm. my first message is to all the people across the eastern sea board, mid-atlantic going north that you need to take this very seriously and follow the instructions of your state and local officials because they are going to be providing you with the best at vice in terms of how to deal with the storm over the coming days. we just had an excellent meeting with the fema team here, the various agencies that are in charge, including the department of defense, department of energy and others that are going to need to respond quickly. under craig fugate's leadership

at fema, we spoke with the regional leaders as well. i had a phone call with governors of the states being impacted. at this stage, everybody is confident that the staging process, the prepositioning of resources, commodities and equipment needed to respond to the storm are in place. as craig emphasized, this hasn't hit land fall yet. we don't yet know where it's going to hit, where we are going to see the biggest impacts and that's exactly why it's so important for us to respond big and respond fast as local information starts coming in. i want to thank all the members of the team for the outstanding work they are doing but the other thing that makes the storm unique is we anticipate it is going to be slow moving. it may take a long time not only to clear, but also to get, for example, the power companies

back in to clear trees and put things back in place so that folks can start moving back home. so, my main message to everybody involved is that we have to take this seriously. the federal government is working effectively with the state and local governments. it's going to be very important that populations in all the impacted states take this seriously, listen to your state and local elected officials. my message to the governors as well as the mayors is anything they need, we will be there. we are going to cut through red tape. we are not going to get bogged down with a lot of rules. we want to make sure we are anticipating and leaning forward into making sure we have the best possible response to what is going to be a big and messy system. again, thank you, everybody. >> so, big and messy system. as sandy continues to spin in the atlantic, both campaigns continue to spin.

who is in the lead about the upcoming presidential election. on "meet the press" this morning, the panel which included rachel maddow talked about the final pitch to voters from both campaigns going into the last week of the marathon presidential race. the issue of trust is playing a big role. listen to what they had to say about that. >> as the race gets narrower and narr narrower, it's smaller and smaller spaces. it's a res gnat -- on the integrity issue, the trust issue, mitt romney went to defiance, ohio and told a group of people jeep is about to move their productions overseas somewhere. it's not true. it's okay to make a flub but to not correct it. the campaign was asked are you sure he meant that? no response clearing it up.

there's been a truthfulness problem that connects to the basic issues. >> carly, you have governor romney not focusing on trust saying look at the record. do you want another four years like we have had. this is how he's doing it. >> this is not the time to double down on trickle down on government policies that failed us. it's time for new, bold changes that measure up to the moment and can bring american families a certainty the future can be better than the past. >> an economic argument focused on ohio. we are going to talk to governor kasich in a moment. how much credit does the president deserve for improving conditions in. >> that important battleground state has a republican governor that's done exactly the opposite of what obama claims he's going to do. he's lowered taxes. i find the trust argument odd

because president obama promised that we would have 4.2 economic growth right now we have 2%. he promised unemployment below what we have today. he hasn't delivered on promises. joining me is amy, and kelli golf. ladies, good to have you here. kelly, i want to start with you. we saw rachel making the case for essentially where the truth is not being told along the campaign trail. do voters see it that way? romney goes to defiance, ohio and makes the case for what's happening with the auto industry. jeep came out to give their own response saying it's untrue what romney said. jeep is putting out their own press releases on this. >> it's a play on truthiness. it's the word for this election cycle. we have seen a lot of half truths, minitruths and almost

truths and let the fact checkers go back to determine who is telling the truth. someone did an article about how there's a bit of gotcha fatigue. it's like now voters are resigning themselves to the fact campaigns aren't going to tell 100% of the truth in the debates and things like that. perhaps four campaigns ago, this might have busted mitt romney. right? now, voters shrug their shoulders. unless it's something like yes, i actually had a mistress who i tried to convince had an abortion happened to a conservative congressman who is running for re-election. unless it's on that scale, i don't know that it lands with voters. unfortunately, i don't think it's a good thing. i don't think it's something that is costing people a ton of votes. >> as we see that, amy, and we watch that bite and david gregory pivoted the conversation

she went like this and went like that and pivoted it to president obama, not really answering the question about mitt romney and what he's saying, but pivoted to the president and gdp and where we are in the country economically. >> sure. i think this is an argument the obama campaign thinks is working for them. you know, they are going to -- they mention truth in almost every speech. they are going to continue to talk about it in the future. in the coming days, he's going to spend a lot of time in ohio. it's going to come up again and again. i think president clinton and joe biden when they appear in ohio tomorrow, they are going to say you can't trust mitt romney, you can trust the president to bring forward this economy and guide the country to a better future. >> go ahead. >> what i would say to you, there's a small distinction but important, i don't know that a lot of voters are buying that mitt romney is a big ole liar. a lot of them think he doesn't

know what he stands for. with a lot of the conservative party, they didn't buy he's against abortion. now, voters are saying when hi says i'm not that extreme. it's not that i think he's liar, liar pants on fire, but does he know what he stands for? it's an important distinction but can make a difference. >> i think it's a two-pronged approach. they are pushing the conservative argument and the fact he's a flip-flopper. you have heard both sides sort of brought out in the last few days and weeks. >> one thing i want to talk about is this. our coverage is heavily dominated because of hurricane sandy. you were with the president today when he spoke at fema about the preparations. do you think the weather is going to impact the last stretch of the presidential campaign in.

>> it definitely is. it's the big ohio surprise we thought would happen. you know, there was an expression like life is what happens when you make plans. the president is going about his business. he's going to florida. he's coming back to d.c. to monitor what's happening. i think he's going to take this day by day, hour-by-hour to see what he does next. he's sending, the vice president and bill clinton going to ohio tomorrow instead. you are seeing a bit of change happening in the campaign right now. >> are you worried about this? do you think it's going to have an effect on whether or not voters get out there? >> bad weather suppresses turn out. forgot frankenstorm, there's a little rain. a frankenstorm could suppress turnout. if their power is out and they are trying to get their lives

back together, they benefit the most enthusiastic voters. they benefit governor romney. if you are talking strictly on paper. the more enthusiastic voters are older. >> the states effected by sandy are solidly blue. >> well, virginia. this is going to be a close election. virginia could be effected. i told you congressman clay burn. it could make a difference. >> all eyes remain on ohio. governor romney was in ohio campaigning and made mention of the storm and the impact of sandy. take a look. >> i know that right now, some people in the country are nervous about a storm about to hit the coast. our thoughts and prayers are with the people who find themselves in harms way. [ applause ] >> so both sides recognizing the fact sandy is going to dominate

the realities, the lives of so many voters over the next week. do you think though, that is going to implement the change where more focus as we talk about the campaigns staying tight in ohio. more attention going into that state? >> yeah, i think that remains to be seen. earlier today, the president mentioned it remains to be seen whether this is going to affect voter turn out. they weren't anticipating it. i think you'll see them go back to ohio and make up for lost time at the end of the week. he's using the power of the incumbency to manage the storm and be on top of it. i think he's going to play the presidency, then pivot to the campaign. >> he's looking presidential. i think voters want to see someone look like they are getting the job done.

if there's another co-star besides sandy, it's going to be the president. it's tacky to talk politics. i'm an evacuee so it's the last thing i'm focused on. i appreciate it. >> kelli, good to see you. i appreciate your time tonight. >> thank you. >> we are going to get our attention back on sandy and talk about what's taking place in a moment. one thing, for six months martin o'malley have been a leading figure for his role in the political campaign. tonight, he's the governor for the state with an atlantic coastline. governor o'malley joins us with the governor of delaware. keep locked into us on msnbc. our continuing coverage of hurricane sandy marches on after this. to volunteer to help those in need. when a twinge of back pain surprises him. morning starts in high spirits, but there's a growing pain in his lower back. as lines grow longer, his pain continues to linger. but after a long day of helping others,

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welcome back. the head of fema saying the time for preparing and talking is

about over. for millions in the new york city area who may have been considering public transportation, the time appears to be over. the massive transit system started the long process of shutting down. they started at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. they hope to have it down and shuttered by 3:00 a.m. in delaware, the coastal areas are under a mandatory evacuation. it goes into effect at 8:00 eastern. we have been reporting from delaware. tom, we can see things have changed dramatically since the last time we spoke. >> absolutely. we are getting hit with stiff winds. look at the angry atlantic ocean. it is coming up and overtaking the beach. this is a preview of what we are going to see over the next 24 to 36 hours. as you mentioned at the top. this area is under a mandatory evacuation.

roughly 50,000 people in the delaware area. this is for their safety. over the next 24 to 36 hours, a lot of rain. they are anticipating four to six inches of rain. because of the high tide, combined with the storm surge, this is what we are going to see tomorrow as well. it's going to consistently stay that way. roughly 2,000 utility workers on stand by for wide power outages in the coming hours. so far, the electricity is staying on. it's going to go down in a few hours here and we are anticipating things to get worse. the governor also ordered all businesses to shut down at 6:00. this is a very popular beach destination. there was a huge festival here. that emptied out within 24 hours. they canceled all activities today. everybody hunkered down. that small window of opportunity

is narrowing. they are going to close off the bridges and roads in and out of here. this is what we are seeing for the duration of the night and probably into tomorrow morning as well. thomas? >> thank you. >> joining us on the telephone is the governor of delaware. sir, it's good to have you on with us. i know it's been a busy day for you. i have been following the updates on the state website for delaware. at this time, explain where things stand. i know you added, not a long time ago about businesses shutting down by a certain time as well. >> caller: thank you for having me. we announced mandatory evacuations along the coast. we played it out in great detail on our website the communities affected. they should be gone by 8:00. businesses need to be closed by 6:00. we have a lot of first responders working

cooperatively. as the report said, people have to take responsibility, you know, otherwise, they put themselves and others in harms way. >> as you are saying that, we are watching a boogie border. >> caller: yeah. people are going to do stupid things, that's their problem. the fact is, you know, they could -- if people stay in these evacuation areas, they could be cut off. this is not a police state. people have to take responsibility for themselves. >> sir, as you bring up the personal responsibility, the biggest problem is not that you want to make sure this person is safe, but it also puts first responders at risk. they get called to the beach to save somebody. >> caller: exactly. people in the bay area, they were told they will be cut off. we don't want to send in a first responder. if they need help with the

evacuation, we can help with that. we have shelters across the state. we have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people, thousands across the state working with various agencies. people have to take care of themselves as well. >> how are you being able to communicate with people to get out the message, but also to get out information on where they could go for potential shelters, evacuation shelters, if necessary. >> caller: we are grateful to you and other media to get the message out. delaware.gov website listed the shelters where people can go. using facebook and twitter. these days, it's a whole new world in terms of communicating with people in terms of storms. >> from what you have been getting, the reporting and your people looking at the models, how does this differ from what we saw with irene? >> caller: the concern is number one, the storm is hundreds of miles away and hours from having the center of it hit, we are saying the kind of tidal

activity and flooding you would normally see at the height of the storm. that's one. two, we are expecting the storm to stay with us for awhile. it is slow moving. it's a problem because it's going to last over several tidal cycles. a lot of flooding. we expect it to be once we are out of power, we expect it's going to be awhile before the power is on. it could take awhile to send their people out. >> that was delaware governor joining me earlier this evening to talk about the state of delaware. maryland governor is going to join me next along with an update on where the storm is now. we are back with more on continuing coverage of hurricane sandy, after this. [ male announcer ] the 2013 smart comes with 8 airbags, a crash management system and the world's only tridion safety cell which can withstand over three and a half tons. small in size. big on safety.

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the power companies were embarrassed by their performance in hurricane irene and they don't want to see another embarrassing performance like that and know what the ramifications could be for them down the line in terms of their continued conduct in the state of new jersey and how under other circumstances, so i think we'll see a better performance. >> governor chris christie talking about the aftermath of hurricane irene, the power outage that is left nearly 1 million electricity customers without power for long stretches of time. that's just one concern tonight for governors of eastern states, one of many. martin o'malley is here from maryland, the governor there. the state of maryland is under a state of emergency. as we remind everybody, you have the eastern shore with the atlantic coastline to worry about but the coastal communities along the chesapeake bay. is the storm surge the most concern for you?

>> the greatest concern to us right now is that, or are the waves that are going to be slamming into the atlantic coast. predicting the tidal surge in the bay is the trickier proposition. so we are concerned about the low-lying areas inside the chesapeake bay. if we stay on this side of this storm that's better in terms of avoiding the bay flooding than it would be if we were on the other side of the storm. having said that, it's a very tricky body of water. so a number of communities, the low-lying areas of somerset, and many others, including low-lying areas of the city of annapolis are under a voluntary evacuation. ocean city itself is under a mandatory evacuation for the downtown of ocean city. so they are both a concern and,

of course, the winds and the sustained level, thomas, that the winds will be over our state knocking down trees and knocking down power lines is going to be the real challenge in the cleanup here. >> sir, with maryland knowing in the eastern shore especially being familiar with hurricanes, and people hearing, oh, it is just a cat 1 storm, how are you able to impress upon them that this storm is different and they need to take heed? >> well, we have been doing that thanks to you and other people in the media. i mean, i think if people have been following this storm, and i believe many people are, they see that we are doing things that we rarely ever do in anticipation of the storm. totally closing down metro systems, closing down mark rail, closing down the port of baltimore. these are things we rarely ever do. we have stood up about 23 shelters up now in the state. we have deployed national guard. and so what we have been trying to emphasize is that given the size of this storm, families

have to be prepared to hunker down for an extended 24-hour period of time, possibly even longer. these will be sustained winds unlike the do derecho that came through leaving cleanup in the wake, this is a storm to pound us for an extended period of time. we are urging motorists to stay off the roads. people should be home tomorrow with their families. the state government is closed, schools are closed, federal government is closed. so the only people that really should be out there are first responders. as you said earlier with the great governor of delaware, jack markel, people need to be responsible. and if they are careless about their own safety, they need to think twice and be mindful of the jeopardy they are putting first responders in if they are out there when they don't need to be out there. >> sir, you canceled early voting for tomorrow, do you think you can make that up?

>> we will certainly be able to make up the early voting scheduled for tomorrow. we'll be able to do that on friday. and we'll be watching weather conditions, hopefully we'll be able to resume early voting on tuesday, but this is a big massive storm. we'll make that call tomorrow. >> governor martin o'malley of maryland. sir, thank you for your time. appreciate it. >> thank you, thomas. >> let's get the latest now from dylan driar. >> we are keeping an eye on the coastal warnings with waves battering the coastline and the storm surge up to 4 to 7 feet. there's a good chance we are going to deal with widespread coastal flooding. combine that with the high winds, we will see gusts at the peak of the storm up near 80 miles per hour. as we go into monday afternoon, conditions will deteriorate rapidly. monday evening looks awful with torrential downpours. we'll have sustained winds up to around 40 to 60 miles per hour. then it makes landfall around 2:00 a.m. tuesday morning, but again, it's the size of this storm that is going to create

widespread power outages, widespread flooding up and down the eastern seaboard. we already have wind gusts up to 44 miles per hour in virginia beach. and the storm is still more than 300 miles to the east of that area. we will end up with about 7 to 8 inches of rainfall, so inland flooding is an issue with the streams and rivers overflowing their banks. and the peak time for the storm to hit the midatlantic is monday evening into tuesday morning. we will end up with some areas about 10 to 12 inches of rainfall. it is all about the storm surge at the coast combined with all the water making for a very soft ground with wind gusts up near 80 miles per hour. that's just at the peak of the storm. on either side of that monday evening timeframe we will see sustained winds up near 40 to 60 miles per hour. thomas? thank you so much, dylan. and thank you for watching. we do want to impress upon you that this is a fast moving changing storm. it's a slow mover but changes happen quickly. so stay up to speed with your local advisories and your local

authorities. msnbc will continue to cover this all day tomorrow. this dramatic weather event taking up the eastern seaboard got all of our attention today, for sure. thank you, i'm thomas roberts. this is msnbc. [ rosa ] i'm rosa and i quit smoking with chantix. when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation,

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